Kompressed
by Fractured Peace
Summary: Six months after the events of the time compression, five strangers appear mysteriously on the grounds of Balamb Garden. While SeeD grapples with the best course of action, a greater threat quickly reveals itself - they didn't come alone. The ripples of time are far reaching. ((Crossover for 6, 7, CC, 8, 9, and 10))
1. Chapter 1

((Hello everyone! And welcome to my crossover FF fanfiction. While set in FF8, it pulls characters from 6, 7, 8, CC, and 10. I've had this story in my head forever - this is actually something of an evolution of one of the first fanfictions I ever submitted on here - and I'm glad I managed to get this much of it written down. Will I ever continue? Well, I have a second chapter completed and then who knows? Anyway, I thought that it was enough for someone out there to enjoy even if I never continue. So I hope you do! Please like and comment to encourage me!))

* * *

The intruders were found on a morning patrol near the front gate of Balamb Garden. No one could say how long they'd been there, nor could they guess as to why. All that anyone could agree on was that there were five of them (though Zell swore he'd counted six), that they'd once been armed, and that every single one of them had been found unconscious.

This was the report that came to Squall that morning once he'd woken, dressed, and started towards the cafeteria. He hadn't made it halfway before Selphie came bolting down the hallway and stopped, panting, in front of him. "Squall! Squall, you won't _believe_ what happened!"

Squall paused and looked at her. When she didn't continue, he hesitated before asking "What now?"

She straightened at his acknowledgement and looked at him with wide eyes. "There were these people outside! We just found them there, all asleep and stuff, but they're, like, really weird. Like _really, really_ weird! So we brought them inside, you know, and they all had these weird swords and were wearing weird stuff, and this one boy, he had a tail. A _tail,_ I swear! Just like a Moomba! So, Squall? What do you want to do?"

Squall watched her speak, blinked twice, and then kept walking.

"Wha-? Squall! Squall, where are you going?" she said, and when he didn't respond, she added, "Well fine, you big meanie!"

When Squall reached the cafeteria, he half-expected the whole thing to have been another product of Selphie's over-active imagination. It was a false expectation, however. Quistis met him before the doors had swung shut behind him.

"Oh, Squall. There you are. I sent Selphie for you. I hope you got the message."

Quistis stood with her usual half-crossed arms, one hand poised at the rim of her glasses. It was the look of a stern teacher, awaiting response from an unwilling student. Squall had seen it many times before.

"Yeah. Selphie found me," he said. Quistis shook her head.

"Your presence was requested in the medical bay. The matter's been taken to Headmaster Cid." She paused thoughtfully before adding, "Are you armed?"

"Yeah," Squall said. He never went anywhere without his gunblade, and its weight hung comfortably from his side.

"And properly junctioned?" Quistis asked skeptically.

Squall nodded.

"Well then, you're certainly more responsible than Zell," Quistis said. "Caution is advised. They're believed to be dangerous."

Squall didn't eat that morning. Quistis watched him expectantly until he turned and walked back out the cafeteria door.

No one bothered Squall as he started through the first floor lobby. There were no excitable students, no unprepared SeeDs, and no Triple Triad players. As Squall made his way past the elevators, he found himself alone except for the click of his own boots on linoleum floors.

He relished the silence.

Squall heard the commotion around the medical bay before he saw it. Throngs of SeeDs gathered outside the doors and spilled out into the hallway beyond. Squall pushed his way past them and ignored their whispers of adoration. Two soldiers stood on guard near the infirmary doors. They held back the crowd and gave Squall a sharp look when he approached.

"Absolutely no entry unless cleared by the-," one started to say, then froze. "Oh, Squall. The Headmaster's been looking for you."

Squall nodded and passed them by. Here, the hallway was less crowded, but buzzed with a kind of hushed energy. Down the hall, there were several grunts of exertion and then a metallic scraping noise. Squall peered around the corner to see three soldiers struggling to drag a five foot slab of steel. The soldiers straightened as he approached. One gave him a SeeD salute.

"Squall Leonhart. The Headmaster asked to see you, sir."

Squall's eyes wandered from the tip of the metal plate to the handle at the end. "What is this?" he asked.

"Woh, he spoke to me!" said the one on the end. The one in the middle quickly hushed him while the third answered, "We think it's a sword, sir. The Headmaster asked us to take their weapons away, so we're bringing it to the others."

The soldier gestured down the hall where a pile of weapons had formed. Ornately carved swords, shining daggers, and a round-faced staff all stacked in a flurry of blades and sharp edges. Squall looked across from the pile to the infirmary doors, not two feet away. He frowned. "Want to move them a little farther from the doors?" he said.

The soldiers blinked in surprise. "Yes, sir!" they said and hurried as quickly as they could with the five feet of metal in store. As they passed, the middle one whispered, "That's why he's the Headmaster's favorite."

Squall touched his forehead and continued onwards.

Headmaster Cid waited for him inside the medical bay lobby. As soon as Squall entered, the Headmaster turned to face him. A line of worry crinkled his forehead. "There you are. I didn't think I could handle this alone."

Squall nodded and took his place against the wall. The Headmaster's hands wrung nervously at the hem of his loose-knit sweater.

"This morning, at approximately 7:03 a.m., we found several intruders on Garden property. They were unconscious, but appeared unharmed. We brought them in for medical treatment."

Headmaster Cid looked to Squall for comment. When Squall said nothing, he continued.

"A thorough analysis proved that there was nothing physically wrong with them. However, the examination also brought up several unsettling characteristics. Strange eyes, unprecedented magical levels, and well, one of them appears to have a fully functional tail of sorts. We didn't know what to think of it."

"Why do you need me?" Squall said. Cid nodded twice.

"I'm glad you asked. Well, it seems they've...gained consciousness."

Squall raised an eyebrow. "They're awake?"

"Ah, yes. And, well, I don't know what to make of it. I thought I'd ask your opinion."

Squall brought the gunblade across his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

"Now, now. There's no need for violence, Squall. We still don't know if they're dangerous or not." The Headmaster tugged once on the edge of his sleeve cuff.

Squall shrugged, but didn't holster his blade. He walked past the Headmaster, around a desk covered in scattered files, and towards the largest examination room - the only one with a locked door. The Headmaster handed him the key and he unlocked it. Five pairs of eyes turned to him as he entered. The door closed and locked behind him.

Before him was a room with pale green walls and six medical cots lined in a row. The occupants had likely each been given their own on arrival, but had since scattered and reorganized. They waited in pairs with two men on one side, a boy and a girl in the center, and a single woman alone with her back against the opposite wall.

The two men looked like they might have been in their early twenties. It was their eyes that caught Squall's attention - blue like Shiva's ice with a kind of unnatural glow at the edges. They sat huddled together, and with their dark belts and high boots, Squall might have mistaken them for SeeDs had they not turned to look at him.

The two in the center didn't have that ambiguity. The girl was brightly dressed in trailing sleeves and floral-patterned skirts. She nervously twisted a ring on her finger while the boy next to her eyed Squall suspiciously. With his buttoned cuffs and lacy collar, the boy looked like he'd stepped out of some history drama, but that hardly mattered once Squall caught a glimpse of movement behind him. It seemed that, for once, the stories he'd heard were true. A thin, blonde tail trailed out from the seam of the boy's pants. It swept irritably behind him like a snake.

Finally, there was the woman in the corner. She sat with her knees drawn against her chest. With her head down, blonde hair scattered over her face in rivulets. Beneath the mess, Squall caught what looked to be white shoulder guards and a gold-trimmed cape that wrapped around her boots like a shroud.

Squall was not one to agree with Selphie, but as he looked over each stranger over in turn, it was her words that came to mind. All in all, there was no other word to describe the five in front of him but _weird._

It was the boy with the tail who spoke first. "We don't know anything, just like we all said before." He hopped to his feet to face Squall on even ground, but it was a wasted effort. Even standing, the boy proved shorter than Squall by a good half foot.

The girl looked at Squall imploringly. "Please, won't you tell us where we are?" she asked.

Squall frowned. "Balamb Garden," he said.

"But we don't know where that _is_ ," the boy said with a frustrated swipe of his hand. The girl nodded in agreement.

"You don't know Balamb?" Squall said. He glanced at the woman who remained silent and then at the two men in the corner. The darker-haired one blinked as their eyes met. He shook his head and gave a weak half-grin. "Don't look at me," he said, "We just woke up here."

Memory loss, Squall decided. Far beyond his scale or pay grade. Squall leaned against the door and touched his forehead. "What's the last thing you remember?" he asked. The room filled with silence.

Suddenly, no one wanted to look at him. Eyes averted, the girl made an uncertain humming noise, and the woman in the corner still refused to lift her head from her knees. When someone did speak, the voice was so quiet that Squall wasn't sure where it had come from.

"I think I might be dead."

Squall raised an eyebrow. "Dead?" he repeated. From the new intonation, he guessed that it was the second, smaller man who'd spoken, but if so, that man refused to look at him now. The darker-haired man ran a hand uncomfortably through heavily gelled hair. No one else said anything. Squall's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why do you think that?"

Again, nothing. Squall looked longingly at the door.

"Look, you probably all have amnesia. If you use GFs too much, I think it can mess with your head or...something."

"GFs?" the girl echoed.

"I'm not forgetting anything," the boy added with an irritable flick of his tail.

"Right, whatever," Squall said. Whatever Squall had been expecting to handle, it wasn't this. He grabbed for the door handle, but it wouldn't budge. He knocked twice and the lock clicked.

"What, that's it?" the boy said, "You didn't answer anything!"

Squall left without another word. Once the door had been closed and locked behind him, the Headmaster looked to him, hands clasped in worry. "So, what did you think?"

"Memory loss," Squall said.

"And? What else?"

Squall shrugged. "And you'll have to find someone better with people."

"Hm. Yes. Maybe you're right."

Squall found a seat by the door. He leaned his head against the wall and listened to the cool buzz of air-conditioning and the hum of fluorescent lights.

The clock clicked 10 a.m., and he already longed for sleep.

* * *

It had only been six months since the time compression - too long to still worry but too short to forget. Somehow over the course of less than a year, Squall had gone from a seventeen year old student to the most revered soldier on the planet. Breathless teenagers called him the savior of time. Adults said they owed him their lives.

Really, he'd only done what was ordered of him. Sometimes he'd taken his own path to save his friends, but never outside of official authorization. It felt unreal, sometimes, when he looked into the excitable eyes of those he'd once called his superiors. When he closed his eyes, he still saw timeless candlelight sputtering on tarnished brass.

His friends weren't safe from the extra attention either. When asked about Sorceress Ultimecia, the more excitable of his allies wouldn't miss the chance to ramble about high-powered explosions, limit breaks, and a GF like a god. The more coherent of his crew would comment on the specifics of the matter. Quistis liked to theorize on the nature of time and their possible future, Irvine used the opportunity to impress any women who might be about, while Rinoa said only that "we did it through love, friendship, and courage."

Squall never said anything at all. He thought that maybe if he ignored the truth for long enough that eventually he'd forget.

Squall had only ever brought it up once, five months ago, when the clock had hit three after midnight and he'd found himself alone on the ballroom balcony. There had been a party for their victory, the third of the month. This time, their Garden had been graced by the leaders of Esthar, and Squall had fled outside to avoid Laguna's company. As the night wore on, he didn't think to check the time. Even after most students had left and Laguna was long gone, Squall stayed on the balcony, leaning against the railing with his chin in his palm. Moonlight filtered through the clouds like water.

"There you are. We've been looking all over for you."

Then there was Rinoa, standing beside him. She leaned backwards against the railing with her hands clasped and her head angled to face him. She smiled. "The whole night, Laguna kept asking, 'Where's Squall? Where's Squall?' Then Zell said he wanted to show you something. He ended up fitting three hot dogs in his mouth at once. You missed it."

Squall shrugged and leaned heavier against the palm of his hand. Rinoa frowned and tilted closer to see him. The moon caught the blonde streak in her hair and glinted off the ring around her neck.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Squall started to shrug again, but then thought better of it. Instead, he looked into her dark eyes and said, "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

Squall shook his head. Rinoa sighed and then stretched her arms above her head and turned to face the railing. They watched the clouds together, like waves in a vast, starry sea.

"Rinoa?" Squall asked after a long moment of silence.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever…?" Squall stopped, suddenly uncertain of what he was going to say. After a moment's thought, he decided on, "Have you ever regretted it?"

Rinoa glanced at him in surprise. "Regretted it?"

"You know. Regretted getting involved."

"Involved?"

Squall felt heat rising to his face. "With us. SeeD. And Ultimecia."

"Oh." Rinoa looked to the sky again. Her hands folded together beneath blue-knit arm-warmers. "I think that everything went the way it had to. To save time, I mean."

"Still, it could have been someone else. Anyone else." Squall didn't know where he was going with this until he lowered his head and muttered, "It didn't have to be me."

"Hm. Maybe not," Rinoa said, "Any other SeeD could have done it. But you're the one that did."

"But I'm not anything special," Squall said. "I'm just…"

When Rinoa looked at him, she was smiling. "Just Squall," she finished.

Squall frowned, but she took his hand, and he found that he couldn't anymore.

"You're just Squall," Rinoa continued, "My Squall. And you did it."

"I guess…" Squall started, but she put a finger to his lips.

"Don't guess anything. You're here now, and everything's fine." She readjusted her grip on his hand and looked back out over the grounds of Balamb. Her smile had faded. "Besides, I'm the one with the sorceress powers."

Squall looked to her questioningly, but she didn't say anything more. Set against the backdrop of distant grass and blackened sky, she looked small beneath the trails of her overlong sweater. Squall moved to put an arm around her shoulder, but thought better of it. Instead, he kept the grip on her hand.

As the silence stretched on between them, Squall had thought to tell her of his recurring nightmares. He'd wanted to tell her that not a day passed when he didn't think of Rinoa, quiet and alone in the icy chills of space. He'd wanted to tell her that he'd missed her warm weight in his arms, and that he'd always protect her no matter what stood between them. But the moment passed, and he couldn't manage the words. When the Garden's clock struck four in the morning, Rinoa pulled her hand from his and took a step back towards the door.

"Well, it's getting late. I'd better get some sleep," she said. Squall nodded mutely as she waved her goodbye.

He'd wanted to call out to her then, to stop her and say what was on his mind. But she'd already slipped inside before his mouth could form the word, "Wait."

* * *

"Hm. Are you asleep? Come on, wake up!"

It was Rinoa that Headmaster Cid sent for in the wake of Squall's failure, and it was her voice that he woke to an hour later once she'd arrived. Between the morning's exhaustion and his own sleepless nights, Squall had managed to fall into a kind of thoughtful half-consciousness while waiting against the wall of the Garden's medical bay. He opened his eyes to find Rinoa's face not three inches away from his.

"There you are," she said. "They told me everything. I'm ready to help."

Squall nodded and squinted the sleep from his eyes. His hair had fallen in his face, and he swept it away with the back of his hand. Rinoa hopped up and backwards with a half-skip of her boots. She looked positive as always, and Squall tried to follow suit. At the very least, he managed to muffle a scowl.

Headmaster Cid had taken a seat behind the cluttered medical desk. "I've already briefed Rinoa on the situation. She thinks she can handle it on her own, but I'd like you to accompany her, Squall."

Squall wanted to say that of course he'd protect her, but he didn't think it was necessary. Instead, he just nodded and un-holstered the gunblade from his belt. Rinoa frowned a little at the sight of it, but didn't comment. Instead, she headed towards the door, touched the handle, and asked, "Ready?"

Squall was about to tell her to open it when he heard something. He put a finger to his lips and pressed closer to the door.

Inside, there were voices.

"Don't worry, Yuna. Whatever's going on, we'll help get you home."

"Yeah. I promise, we won't let anything happen to you."

"Thank you. Both of you. There's just...something very important that I must do."

Rinoa gave Squall a questioning look. He shook his head and knocked on the door. The voices stopped.

The five of them watched as they came in. The brightly dressed girl and the boy with the tail still sat in the middle, though the dark-haired man had joined them and now leaned against a nearby wall. The other two stayed at opposite ends of the room and looked away almost as soon as their eyes met. Squall didn't imagine he'd get much out of them either way.

"Hi, everyone. I'm Rinoa." Rinoa leaned up on her toes and gave them all a little wave. "I'm here to talk to everyone and try to figure out what's going on."

The tailed-boy sat up straighter. "Hey there, Rinoa," he said. "I'm Zidane." There was something about his sudden half-grin that set Squall on edge, but Rinoa didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, right! Let's learn everyone's names!" she said, "That sounds like a great place to start!"

The boy - Zidane - wilted as she turned to the others. His tail drooped behind him and swept at the linoleum floor.

Rinoa addressed each of them in turn. The girl, it turned out, was Yuna - "a summoner," whatever that meant. The dark-haired man said that he was a soldier named Zack and asked as to the location of his sword. When Squall told him that it had been taken for inspection, Zack said to keep it safe because he was "holding it for a friend." Squall pretended to understand.

The other man barely looked up when Rinoa called to him. He just sat with his arms rested on his knees, watching the wall with those eerie blue eyes of his. "Cloud," he said before she could ask him again. Rinoa's smile faltered, but she didn't force anything else and he said nothing more.

Squall hadn't expected much from the woman, and clearly neither had Rinoa. She leaned over onto her knees so that the two were eye-level and spoke with the same, docile tones she would use with her dog, Angelo.

"And what about you? What's your name?"

The woman lifted her head, and for the first time, Squall got a good look at her face. It wasn't right to say that she was beautiful, but there were traces of it there - the golden blonde of her hair, the luster of her eyes, the soft curve of her face. It might have been better to say that she _could_ have been beautiful without her cracked lips, sharp cheekbones, and harsh eyebrows. She looked between them and then touched at the bandana across her forehead, laughing.

"You don't know anything, do you?"

Rinoa blinked in surprise. "Um." She glanced at Squall uncertainly. "Well. That would depend on what you mean."

The woman's eyebrows furrowed. "About _him._ About what happened! About…" Her fists clenched around the edges of her cape. "About _Kefka_."

"Um. No. I've never heard about that."

The woman laughed again before burrowing her face back into her knees and muttering, "This can't be real."

' _Traumatized,'_ Squall thought, but only because "crazy" felt too harsh. The woman had been through a lot - that much was obvious from her dust-streaked clothes to her calloused hands to the way her fingernails dug into her palms. Rinoa just stared at her with nothing to offer but a muted, "Oh."

"She's been like that for a while." The blonde boy, Zidane, offered the woman a sympathetic look. "Since we woke up here. She kept saying this place couldn't exist. Something about a 'Light burning it all' or something. But I guess I'm not much better." He gave a quick glance around the room from the vinyl beds to the linoleum floor. "So what is this, anyway? Some kind of crazy high-tech ruins? Another planet? I'm open to just about anything right now."

Rinoa tilted her head. "A planet?" she asked. "No. You're in Balamb."

"Yeah, but is that like some lost city or another dimension or…?"

"It's a Garden."

" _What does that even mean?_ " The boy groaned and sprawled back sideways on the cot. The girl beside him, Yuna, gave him a slightly alarmed look before explaining, "There aren't any flowers."

Squall felt his hand creeping up to touch his forehead. Beside him, Rinoa struggled to keep her natural smile. "That's not what a Garden is. If you want flowers, I think there's a training area…"

For some reason, the traumatized woman laughed at this without lifting her head. The dark-haired man, Zack, gave her a sympathetic look before shaking his head. "Look, we're all just confused, alright? Why don't you start from the beginning here?"

Squall looked longingly to the door. When it didn't open, he sighed and slumped against the wall. If he'd been the one to try and teach a bunch of amnesiacs about the world, he probably would have left right then. Thankfully, he wasn't alone, however, and Rinoa had more patience than he ever would.

She told them about the Gardens and Balamb in particular - about the mercenaries they trained and the trouble they dealt with. She told them about their usual clients: Galbadia, Esthar, and even the OWLs. Finally, she told them all about SeeD. "I'm not a SeeD myself, but I think I've got a knack for it." Rinoa brought a finger to her cheek and turned to wink at Squall. "What do you think?"

Squall shrugged. When Rinoa didn't get a better answer, she gave a loud huff before turning her back on him. "Well fine," she said then crossed her arms and muttered, "Meanie."

Zack gave them both a strange look. "So you're saying you're a bunch of mercenaries?" he said before glancing aside. "Well that sounds familiar."

"So it _is_ a different planet!" Zidane stretched out his arms above his head before lowering them and shaking his head. "Well that makes sense. We don't have anything like that back home."

"I don't understand," Yuna said before looking questioningly at Zidane. "A...planet?"

"Well, yeah. That's the only answer for it, isn't it? Like a different _world_ , you know? I don't know how it happened. Maybe that crazy monster...god...thing threw me here. I don't really know what it was, but that _must_ have been it!" Zidane hopped to his feet and rocked forward on his heels. "Yeah. That must be it," he repeated before looking expectantly at Squall. "So what's the name of this world anyway? Not, uh, your 'Garden' or whatever, but the planet?"

Squall stared at him. He'd never heard a stupider question in his life.

"Gaia," he said. The boy's eyes lit with recognition.

"Hey! That's mine too!" he said, then paused and touched his chin thoughtfully. "Wait, that doesn't make any sense. Why would it be the same?"

"We're not in Spira?" Yuna's eyes were wide. "How…?" Her eyebrows furrowed in thought before they snapped upwards and she slapped her hand over her mouth with a muffled "Oh!" Zack and Zidane looked at her in concern.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Did you think of something?"

Yuna shook her head but wouldn't give them any more than a noncommittal hum. Her eyes were glued to the floor.

"Hey." Zack frowned and pushed off the wall. "It'll be okay. I promise." He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, but Zidane beat him to it. In a second, he was kneeling on the floor in front of her, looking up imploringly.

"No matter where we are, no matter what's happened, you don't have to be afraid." He reached up and took her hands in both of his. "Because you're not alone here. I'll protect you."

"Ah." Yuna's cheeks reddened at the boy's touch. She gave him a weak smile. "Thank you." Zidane nodded back.

"No problem," he said then stood and let go of her hands. Yuna turned her head to hide her blush. Behind them, Zack gave Zidane a knowing grin.

"Aw," Rinoa cooed and then for some reason looked at Squall. Squall raised an eyebrow at her. After a moment, she huffed again and muttered, "Nevermind."

Squall wondered what he'd done wrong.

"Are we done?" Squall asked.

"Hm. Well we have their names," Rinoa said. "Is that enough?"

Zack tilted his head. "Enough for what?" he said then glanced between them cautiously. "We're not here to cause any trouble." He gave them a weak grin. "We're just as confused as you are, so why don't you just let us go?"

"Hm…" Rinoa grasped her hands behind her back. "Maybe…"

"No," Squall said.

Zack gave him a wary look. "Why not?"

Squall shrugged and shook his head. "That's not my call."

"Look, we're not going to hurt anyone. We just want out of here."

Squall didn't respond at first because he didn't know how to best repeat himself. Thankfully, someone interrupted him.

"It doesn't matter."

Squall had almost forgotten about the blonde man - Cloud - sitting quietly in his own corner. Cloud looked at Zack and then shook his head. "If this is real, then there's no changing their minds."

Something painful passed over Zack's expression. Zidane and Yuna looked between the two warily. Even the blonde woman lifted her head to give them a careful glance. Something had clearly happened between them, but Squall didn't care enough to ask. "Let's go," he said.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Zidane had jumped to his feet. "You're just going to leave us here? _Again?_ Zack's right, we're not doing anything! Just give us a chance!"

Rinoa looked to Squall, saw his expression, then turned to wave at the others. "Sorry. We'll come to see you soon, okay?" Squall reached for the door knob. It wasn't locked.

He left without another word, waited for Rinoa, and closed the door behind her. It clicked closed, and Squall heard the dead-bolts fall into place.

"Well? How did it go?" Cid sat up from where he'd been watching at the window. Squall shook his head.

"Useless."

"Oh? Well that's a shame," Cid said. Squall walked to the other side of the room and leaned against the wall. Rinoa lingered by the locked door. She touched her cheek thoughtfully.

"Something's weird about them," she said. She took a few slow steps forward. "Something weird…" She grasped her hands behind her back and looked up towards the ceiling. "Hm. Do you think it has something to do with time?"

"Time?" Cid's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean...Whenever something weird happens, it always has to do with time, right?"

"That's not exactly hard evidence, Miss Heartilly."

Rinoa's face scrunched together in frustration. "Well, at least I tried!" she said then crossed her arms and pouted, "I bet you don't have a better idea."

Cid sighed before looking to Squall. "Well? Do you have anything to say?"

"No." Squall said. "Ask Quistis. I've got work to do."

He left before either of them could stop him. The SeeDs at the door gasped and stepped back to let him through. Squall spotted the strangers' stockpile of weapons sticking out of an archway three rooms down the hall, but didn't care enough to tell them to close the door so the weapons wouldn't be found.

It was 11:30 by the time that Squall made it back to the cafeteria for his very belated breakfast. He sat by himself at a table in the far back corner and spoke to no one.


	2. Chapter 2

_OOC: Hey guys! So here's the promised second chapter I have. Not sure if / when I'll post more of this, but I thought this was enough for someone to enjoy somewhere. As always, remember to comment if you want to see more. That's really encouraging for me._

* * *

Over the next two days, Squall didn't think much of the mysterious strangers kept locked in their medical bay. Cid didn't bother him for another opinion, and Squall was far too busy keeping tabs on a slew of disappearances in Galbadia to bother. Galbadia's new president had asked for a SeeD team to investigate, and between price negotiations and conflicting interests with Trabia Garden, Squall had almost forgotten the unusual events only two days prior. Quistis hadn't, however, and found him releasing his frustrations on a pair of sentient plant monsters in the training center.

"Hm. Your swordsmanship is excellent, but a fire spell would have been more efficient."

Quistis stood behind him, watching him over the rims of her glasses. When Squall met her eye, she shook her head and said, "Sorry. I just can't help myself. I was your teacher, after all."

Squall shrugged and sheathed his gunblade at his hip. With classes in session, he hadn't expected interruptions. The training center was quiet but for the fumbling of monsters' paws and the rustling of palm trees. He crossed his arms and watched another plant monster swing across the cobble-stone path.

Quistis eyed him for a moment and then sighed. "Have you spoken to the Headmaster lately?"

Squall shook his head. "He hasn't called me."

"Because you _walked out_ on him," Quistis pointed out. She pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "We need to talk. I have several theories I'd like to share with you."

Squall couldn't think of a way out, so he stayed quiet. Quistis gave him a sharp look. "Squall."

Squall opened his mouth to answer, but a rustling noise interrupted him. His hand was on his gunblade before he turned to see it - another plant monster, vines flailing, oozing with poison. He brought his blade up to block its stingers, but it wailed in pain before his sword could connect. He frowned and looked over to see Quistis with her whip drawn. She gave him an impatient look before turning on her heel. "We should find somewhere more private to talk."

Squall followed.

* * *

"At first I thought that it must be some kind of mass memory loss through the use of GFs, but if that's the case, then it's far more severe than I've ever heard of. And that wouldn't account for their fake memories. It's still a possibility, but it's not a likely one."

The classroom buzzed with fluorescent lights and the rattling of an old air conditioner. Add in another dozen students, and Squall might have been back in training, leaning idly against the back of a plastic chair and waiting for Quistis' lectures to end. It had been a lot easier to feign interest then when Quistis' attention had been divided among over a dozen pupils - one of them Seifer. Squall had rarely drawn attention to himself, and if he'd had the choice, he would have gone back to those quiet days when no one expected anything of him.

Squall spent a majority of his time wondering as to how and when his situation had changed. When he'd been sent to assassinate the President of Galbadia, probably. Or maybe it had been the night of the dance…

"Squall. Are you listening?"

It was a lot harder to go unnoticed when he was the only other person in the room.

"Yeah," Squall tried slowly. "GFs. I thought that too."

Quistis gave him an appreciative nod before touching her chin thoughtfully. "It's the most obvious answer. But it doesn't line up with facts. It's not just that they've _forgotten_ , but that what they remember...well. It doesn't make sense."

Squall shrugged. He had more important things to worry about.

"Cid seemed very concerned about where they came from. I don't know what he's worried about, but, well, I talked to all of them one-on-one. Most of what they were saying was complete gibberish."

Squall nodded so she wouldn't call him out on his silence again. It worked.

Quistis gave a short sigh and adjusted her glasses the way she always did when she was thinking. She'd had the same look since they'd left the training grounds. This time in the afternoon, it hadn't taken long to find an empty classroom, and Quistis had flocked to it as naturally as though it were _her_ desk she stood behind, pacing quietly as she'd gathered her thoughts. Squall had naturally drifted towards the students' side and hunched awkwardly over one of their desks. Quistis hadn't commented on the sense of deja vu, and neither had he.

"I'm starting to wonder about something Rinoa said. She told me it's 'probably something to do with time.' I don't think _she_ knew what she meant, but it's not a terrible idea."

Squall shook his head. "Ultimecia's dead."

"I know that. But we didn't really _stop_ her, you know. She still compressed time, and we have no idea what kind of consequences that could have."

Squall couldn't think of anything to say to that.

Quistis began pacing again. "We don't even know exactly what time compression _means_. They said that it was time compressing to a single point, but if that's true, then I wonder what would have happened if it had stayed that way. What did that mean for the past? Or our future." She stopped and touched at the nosepiece of her glasses. "I've been wondering about that a lot lately."

Squall frowned. With how happy everyone had sounded, he thought he'd been the only one still uneasy about Ultimecia. "Everything's been fine," he said, but he wasn't sure if he really believed it. Quistis didn't look sure either.

"I know it's _seemed_ fine, but something like this. It's never happened before. We have no idea what kind of…" She hesitated. "Do you think this could be a side effect from the compression?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not really sure myself, but...Don't you think this is a little _odd?_ All of time compresses, and then five strangers appear from nowhere spouting nonsense? And there's something strange about some of them. That one with the _tail…_ " She let out a short breath. "I just wonder."

Squall raised an eyebrow. "You think they're from the future?"

"Or the past. I don't know." Quistis paused thoughtfully. "There's something that one of them said. He fought in a city called Midgar. Have you ever heard of it?"

Squall shook his head.

"I didn't think so. But it sounded familiar. I don't know why."

"It sounds kind of like Esthar, I guess."

"Maybe," Quistis agreed, though she didn't look convinced. "I think I'll look into it."

Squall started nodding, then slowed to a stop. He couldn't make himself agree. "Don't you think there are better things to worry about?" he asked instead. Quistis gave him a surprised look.

"What do you mean?"

Squall hated being asked for elaboration.

"There's missions," he said bluntly. "People disappearing from Galbadia. That's what we're getting paid for."

Quistis stiffened. "Cid asked someone to look into this too. And if you're not going to…"

"I have better things to do." Squall shoved the plastic chair back and stood. "Whatever happens to them's got nothing to do with me."

Quistis recoiled at his sudden movement and stared at him like he'd pulled a sword. "What if it has something to do with Ultimecia?" she countered. Squall hesitated, but shook his head.

"It's got nothing to do with me," he repeated. He left before he could see the betrayal in her eyes or the way she reached for him as the door swung closed behind him. He didn't care about the strangers just like he didn't care about Ultimecia. It was over, done with, and ultimately, not his problem.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder why his stomach turned when he heard her calling his name.

* * *

"Come on, come on!"

"Is that really going to work?"

"Maybe you need a little more muscle put into it?"

"No way! I've got it! It's almost there!"

The lock scraped another centimeter left before jerking back into place as one of the hairpins snapped in two. For a moment, Zidane could only stare at it, dumb-founded, before the disappointment hit him and he slumped against the door with a groan.

Lock-picking had never been his strong-suit.

It had been two days since he'd woken up dazed, unarmed, and feeling like he had the king of all hangovers. That's what he'd thought at first, but then he'd noticed the sterile walls, the buzzing overhead lights, and that he had _no clue_ where he was. Apparently he'd ended up unconscious on the front lawn of some kind of army base for a kingdom he'd never heard of.

At this point, he was almost used to crazy adventures on other planets. He wondered what that said about him.

"It's a hard one." Zidane squared himself against the door and crossed his arms. "I bet I could get it in one more try."

"You've said that for two hours now." The blonde woman had taken to the whole thing worse than anyone, but she'd put herself together about halfway through the first day. Now she fixed him with a look so sharp that he winced at the sight of it.

"Well, yeah. But I'm sure _this_ time, I'll get it. Only a matter of time, right?"

She shook her head and started pacing back and forth along the far wall. She hadn't said much about where she came from or who she was - just that her name was Celes and she had people to meet. Zidane felt a little bad for her and the way she always sat by herself with that heavy look in her eyes, but every time he tried to cheer her up, some gut feeling told him it was probably best to keep his distance. And Zidane wasn't one to fight his instincts.

Instead, he tilted his head towards Yuna, shot her an almost apologetic half-grin, and asked, "How many more of those pins've you got?"

Yuna frowned at him from where she sat perched at the edge of the bed. "Just one," she said before glancing down at her hands. "I'm sorry."

"Just one? Seriously?" Zidane's eyes widened before he saw her face - still angled down - and he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Well, just means I'll have to get it next time, right? No problem." He pushed off from the door and started towards her. "I used to do this kind of thing all the time. Comes with the trade."

"I'm sorry," Yuna said again. "I was holding onto them for Rikku - ah, a friend. I only had a few."

"What? No! Don't worry about it! I only got to try because of you, right?"

She glanced at him and smiled weakly. "I guess so."

Yuna was cute when she smiled like that. She looked sad a lot of the time too, but there was something else behind it. Something nice and thoughtful and full of feelings he knew she wouldn't say aloud. It was the kind of smile that made him want to reach out and take her hands and tell her he'd take care of everything and it'd all be okay, but if he did that then he'd just end up wanting to put an arm the small of her back and then maybe touch her cheek and after that, well, who knew? But it wasn't anywhere he should be going when Dagger was waiting for him. So instead, he just rubbed his neck and said, "I know so."

Behind him, Zack shifted from where he'd leaned against the wall. "I still say we could try to break it down," he gestured towards the door before recrossing his arms. "With all of us, I bet we could do some damage. I'm stronger than I look, you know."

Zidane shook his head. "I don't know. That thing's pretty solid, and you'd make a lot of noise trying to get it open that way."

"Still. If your way doesn't work out, you can leave it to me." Zack pointed at his own chest with a kind of cocky grin. Yuna tilted her head at him in interest.

"You really think you can break it open?" she asked. Zack nodded and pushed off from the wall.

"I wasn't in soldier for nothing," he said before running a hand through his hair. "And if it doesn't work, we'll think of something else. You've always got to try!" Yuna's eyes lit up at that and she sat forward as though drawn to him.

"You're right!" she said, "There's always something!"

Zidane glanced between them before shrugging and leaning back on the palm of his hand. "Sure, if you want," he said. "But I'll get it this time. Promise." They kept talking like they hadn't heard him, going on about never losing hope and the power of dreams, so Zidane sighed and leaned his head back to eye the ceiling.

He'd been trapped in here for too long.

Zidane had never done well being told what to do, and being cooped up for even a few hours was enough to make his tail twitch. It had been two days since he'd woken up here with no cause, reason, or explanation, and that was the worst part of it, he thought. The confusion. He wasn't one to dwell on things he couldn't control, but that didn't stop his mind from wandering.

What was the last thing he remembered…?

The echoes of ghoulish screams. A place beyond time and space in the heart of memory. He'd known there were risks when he dove in there. Maybe he hadn't really _thought over_ those risks, but part of him had known anyway. He remembered the crystal with its ethereal orange glow. And Kuja, floating like a crimson wraith before it. Magic plunging into him like daggers, light glinting off of crystal shards and then…

What happened next was almost a blur. Some kind of god? The alignment of planets? Those memories leaked between his fingertips like water. And then he'd woken up here. None of it made sense.

His eyes wandered to Cloud, and to his surprise, he found Cloud looking back at him. Their gazes met and Zidane blinked in surprise before Cloud looked away. Out of everyone here, he'd been the quietest by far. Zidane wasn't entirely sure that they'd even exchanged words, actually, though that wasn't for lack of trying. Cloud stayed mostly to himself, only talking to Zack when they thought that everyone else was asleep. The night before, Zidane had stayed absolutely still with one eye open as he'd strained to catch their tense whispers.

"I saw you die. Are you telling me that's not real?"

"I'm right here. I think you might-...I don't think you're lying, I just think that maybe you might be...confused."

"I saw it. I remember. That wasn't a lie."

"I know, I know. But you were real messed up there for a while. I can't blame you if your head's a little fuzzy now after all that happened."

It was quiet after that, and Zidane could have sworn he saw one of the shadows stiffen.

"It was real." Cloud's voice was so weak that Zidane had barely made out the words. Zack gave a long sigh and placed a hand on the other's shoulder.

"Sometimes," he'd said. "It's hard to tell when you're dreaming."

Zidane shook his head. It wouldn't help anyone if he got himself stuck thinking about dreams and death and what was real. So he hopped to his feet and paced to the other wall. "Got it." He raised his arms over his head and made an exaggerated show of stretching his shoulders. "Welp. No time like the present. I'll be careful this time."

Yuna raised a hand to her mouth and giggled even if her smile was weak. "Weren't you careful last time?"

"Well yeah," Zidane said. "But this time I'll be _extra_ careful."

Zack nodded his approval, but his eyes were still wary. "If this doesn't work, we'll try it my way," he said, and Zidane shrugged before shaking his head.

"Sure. But I'll get it this time. Just you wait and-."

"No!" In a second, Cloud was doubled over, eyes squeezed shut, hands clutching at the sides of his head. Zidane stared at him, dumbfounded, as Zack recoiled and then rushed over to help.

"What's going on?" Zack planted his hands on Cloud's shoulders and leaned down to look square into his face. "Talk to me."

Cloud didn't say anything at first. Just grit his teeth and shook his head like that's all he could manage. Yuna edged up beside him cautiously. "Maybe I can help," she said. "I know white magic. If he's hurt…"

"I don't think he's hurt," Zack said, but his voice was tense with worry. "I think it's just...I mean, I think he just needs to get through it."

Cloud let out a gasping breath but otherwise gave no comment. Zidane glanced from Zack and Yuna to the blonde woman who still stood silently on the other side of the room. While she seemed to have moved forward when Cloud collapsed, she still kept her distance, looking at Zidane and shaking her head as though to tell him that this wasn't her problem or maybe just that she didn't know anything either. Zidane bit his lip before looking back at the others.

"He'll be fine," Zack said, and then leaned in closer, eyes intent on Cloud. "It'll be okay. Just breathe. You'll get through this. You'll-."

Cloud shook his head violently and pushed Zack off of him. "No," he hissed and then grit his teeth tighter and muttered something that must have meant something to Zack but meant nothing to Zidane.

" _Sephiroth._ "

Zack blinked. "What? Sephiroth?" He leaned forward again, but didn't try to touch him. Instead, his hands hovered around his shoulders as though to swoop in if he needed to. "Cloud, look at me. Sephiroth's dead! You're here now. With me. Just breathe and you'll-"

" _No!_ " Cloud threw himself upright, staggering a little with the effort and still clutching his head with one hand. Zack tried to steady him, but Cloud just pushed him away. "He's here! He's coming! We have to move. _Now!_ "

Zidane's fingers instinctively swept at his belt where his daggers used to be, but he masked the motion by swinging his hand up to touch at the back of his neck. "What's he talking about?" he asked, his tail sweeping uneasily at the floor. Zack looked just as bewildered as Zidane felt.

"A soldier. Sephiroth did terrible things, but he died five years ago. I think Cloud's just…" Zack trailed off, but it was all Zidane needed to understand. That man had hurt Cloud or the people he loved, and now he couldn't get the images out of his head. Zidane knew the feeling.

"Well, he can take whatever time he needs," Zidane said, scuffing at the floor with his boot. "If it's real to him then it's real enough."

Zack gave him an appreciative look and moved to put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. It was then, when it finally seemed that they'd reached an understanding, that they heard the first scream.

Zidane didn't know how long he'd failed to notice the scuffling of boots on the pavement outside. He didn't know how long Cloud's condition had distracted them from the heavy _thwack_ of wingbeats growling louder and then suddenly silencing. It wasn't until the scream that he realized that anything was wrong, and by that time, Celes was already at the window, leaning forward with her fingers tight on the sill.

"Oh god." The color had drained from her face. "They're…"

Zidane had seen that expression before. His stomach churned as he darted towards the window, scrambling over the end table for a better look outside.

What he saw there froze him where he stood.

Blood. It trailed down concrete steps in a sickening smear. What had once been a bright and busy courtyard had gone completely still but for a loafer-clad foot sticking out from the bushes, still twitching. There was no sign of the culprit anywhere. Just a glimpse of black whipping around the nearest door.

"They're dead," Zidane muttered. Before Zack could finish the word "what?" his voice was drowned by the wail of an alarm.

Zidane didn't have time to process it. He didn't have time for Zack's look of horror, for the weak noise Yuna made as she covered her mouth, or for Cloud's shouts of "No. No! He's here! We have to stop him!"

No, all Zidane had time for was a short "Thanks" as he darted to Yuna's side and swiped the hairpin from her hand. She looked at him in surprise, but didn't get a chance to question before Zidane was at the door, inserting the pin into the lock with a surgeon's precision.

"What did this?" Zack's voice wavered with the effort. "That's...sick."

"Sephiroth! I told you, it's Sephiroth! I don't have time to explain how, but if we don't stop him, he'll-!"

"It's in the building," Yuna sounded stronger than she had since they'd met. "We have to help these people. No matter what they did to us."

 _Breathe in, breathe out._ That's what Marcus had taught him when he'd picked his first lock at the age of nine. ' _That's why you're no good at it. You've got no focus.'_

"If they're in the building, they could be coming this way. We're defenseless." Celes' voice was sharp. A little higher pitched than usual. "We should help them if we can, but first we have to help ourselves."

"They?" Zack shifted. "You saw them?"

"Was it a man in a black coat?" Cloud again. Tense and breathless.

Celes paused. "One of them. With a ridiculous sword."

 _A pinch to the right. Test it. Careful._ Zidane bit his tongue in concentration. Something budged in the lock, just a little. ' _You've gotta have patience.'_

"That's him." There was a shuffle of feet as Cloud turned on Zack. "You know that's him."

"A black coat?" Zack's voice came weak. "But it can't be…"

"He wasn't alone?" Yuna asked instead. Celes' boots clicked as she shifted.

"No, there was someone else with him. I didn't see him draw his sword, but they were together. They were wearing the same thing except instead of black, the other was in-"

The lock gave, Zidane grabbed for the handle, and his own weight thrust the door open so suddenly that he gave a cry of surprise and had to throw out his arms just to keep from toppling forward. He felt four pairs of eyes turn to him as he stumbled into a brightly lit office, feet scrabbling for purchase on gleaming tiles. Once he'd regained his balance, he found himself face to face with a scholarly looking man in a white coat, just standing there behind a desk. Staring at him. Zidane froze. "Oh." He touched at the back of his neck. "Hey there."

"You shouldn't be out here," the man, a doctor probably, said. "That siren means we're under attack."

"Yeah. We kinda want to help with that." Zidane swiveled on his heel to face the others. Four shocked face stared back at him before Cloud shook his head, said something about there not being enough time, and charged past Zidane. Zack blinked at him and reached unsuccessfully for his shoulder before following.

Zidane tilted his head after them. "Not even a thanks?" he asked, and Celes paused as she started out the doorway.

"Thanks," she said, glancing at him. "We really _don't_ have time though."

Then she was gone. Zidane shook his head before looking to find Yuna. She hadn't moved yet. "You coming?"

"Oh. Yes." Yuna clasped her hands together at her chest and nodded. Zidane tried for a smile as she walked past.

"You don't have to be afraid, you know. I'll protect you."

"Hm? Oh. I'm not afraid." Yuna shook her head. "I'm just worried about what I might find."

"I guess that's fair." Zidane started to walk ahead of her but then stopped to turn to her again. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here." He thrust out the two remaining hairpins. "For your friend. Just tell her the rest went missing for a good cause."

Yuna blinked, glancing between Zidane and the pins before shaking her head. "I don't think she'll mind," she said, and then, "You should keep them. You'll use them better than I could."

"You're sure?" Zidane asked, but didn't get the chance to ask anything else before there was a shout outside, sounds of a scuffle, and then a woman's voice. _Celes._

"Who leaves weapons across the hall from where you're keeping someone?"

Zidane blinked. "Huh. Sounds like they had some luck," he said before glancing at Yuna and nodding. "Come on. We should get going too." He took her hand without thinking, dragging her behind him as he dashed into the hallway after the others.

Yuna wasn't wrong to be worried. They had no idea where they were, and whatever was happening, it wasn't good. Whether it was Cloud's spectral nightmare or something else entirely, people were dying and Zidane had seen enough of that. There wasn't any point in lingering on worries and fears. If he was in danger, then the people around him were too.

"Doesn't matter what's going on," he said. "You don't need a reason to help people."


	3. Chapter 3

_OOC: Oh hey, look! I did a thing! Only took...five months. Oops. For real though, if you like my writing, let me know! I'm a sucker for comments._

* * *

Squall didn't make it far before he was stopped by sirens. They froze him where he stood alone in a hallway leading from empty classrooms. There weren't any drills planned for today, this week, or the next three months. Unless someone had made a mistake, those sirens could only mean one thing.

Balamb Garden was under attack.

Squall was running before the thought landed. Whatever was going on, _whoever_ was attacking them, he'd be needed up in command. His boots beat against linoleum floors. His breath caught heavy in his throat. All around, SeeDs were running. Some of them towards the gates outside, some of them away from it, and some of them seemingly nowhere at all. Squall didn't have time to give them orders. He didn't even know what was happening himself yet, so he pushed past them, charging straight for the main elevator at the center of the Garden.

The doors opened, he fumbled for the controls, and the elevator shot up to the third floor.

The headmaster's office was nearly empty when he reached it. There was only one person waiting there, arms crossed next to the raised platform leading to the bridge. Squall paused as their eyes met under the lowered rim of a cowboy hat. Squall hesitated before asking, "What're you doing here, Irvine?"

Irvine shrugged and shook his head. "I heard the sirens. Reckoned I'd head this way," he answered in his usual southern drawl. "But then I was the first one here. Didn't really want to go up by myself. It'd be like showing up alone to a party."

Squall wanted to argue that, but didn't think it was worth his time. Out of all the people he'd fought beside, he knew Irvine the least. Still, Irvine was better than no one if an emergency was at hand so Squall sighed and pushed the button for the bridge. The platform lowered, Irvine sauntered onto it, and they both went up together.

Headmaster Cid was waiting for them next to Xu - a teacher he only knew well enough not to doubt her insight. They turned to face him as he entered, and Cid nodded in his direction.

"Squall, you're here," he started, and Squall couldn't miss the relief in his voice. "And Irvine too." It sounded more like an afterthought, but Irvine tipped his hat anyway. "As you might have suspected, we're under attack though by who we can't say. The assailants appear to be few in number, but the reports we've received are scattered at best. We need someone to step in before the damage spreads."

"The Western sector has already been compromised," Xu added. "The casualties are unknown and our defenses against local monsters have fallen. We've been unable to reach anyone on the Northern quad. We have reason to believe it might have fallen as well."

Squall frowned. The quad and the dormitories. Why only there? Before he could ask, Cid was already interrupting him again. "Squall," he started and then paused, tugging at the sleeve of his shirt. "There's a possibility here that I think we should consider. It's possible - and I don't mean to offend - but it's possible that this might involve a s-"

"Hey, we're coming!" The elevator doors swung open and a brash voice interrupted them. Cid winced and straightened himself again, apparently more than happy to let the conversation die. Someone was repeatedly slapping the platform button. "You wouldn't start without us, would you?"

A few seconds later, Zell burst into their meeting followed by Selphie and then Quistis. They joined them on the bridge and Cid looked between all of them before nodding, straightening the edge of his sweater, and starting over.

He covered the same points - the Garden was compromised, unknown assailants, damage control - while Squall tapped his boot and tried to guess what he'd meant to say. Everyone else was spellbound by Cid except for Quistis who watched Squall cautiously until their eyes met and Squall looked away.

She'd looked almost disappointed in him. He wondered why his stomach sank at that look.

"With two possible entry points, it's recommended that you split into two teams," Xu continued. "One to confront the main threat in the Western sector and the other to investigate the silence in the Northern quad while attempting to evacuate the wounded. Squall, I think it's best for you to lead the main team."

Squall paused at his name and wondered if he'd missed anything important. He glanced from Xu to Cid to the rest of the SeeDs - all of them watching him expectantly. He'd always hated this part.

"...Right." Squall took a reluctant step forward and turned to face his team. Zell locked his hands behind his back like he was trying to be serious, but broke out in an eager grin the moment they looked at each other. After that, there was Selphie, rocking back on her heels and humming to herself. Squall skipped looking at Quistis entirely, choosing to consider Irvine instead. Irvine struck a pose when their eyes met and offered him a lopsided smirk.

That was Zell, Selphie, Quistis, and Irvine. But where was…?

"Rinoa." Squall blinked and turned back to Cid. "Where is she?"

Cid glanced away, tugging nervously at the bottom of his sweater. "Ah. Well…"

It was Quistis that answered. "She hasn't been feeling well. For almost two days now. She said not to tell you. You were busy with your own problems, after all."

Squall frowned. "She's sick?" Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen her since their morning in Dr. Kadowaki's office, but that wasn't really unusual. He wondered why she wouldn't want him to know, but the thought slipped away to be replaced by another far more relevant one. If Rinoa wasn't feeling well, then that meant she'd have to have stayed at...

"The Northern quad." He looked at Quistis in surprise. "That's where she is, isn't it?"

Quistis touched her mouth. "Oh," was all the could manage before she was interrupted by Cid.

"We don't know that there's any danger there," he said a little too quickly. "There could be many reasons they aren't responding. Our focus should stay on the threat we can see."

Squall's stomach churned at the thought. This wasn't the first time that his orders conflicted with Rinoa's safety, but it was one of the first that he couldn't really argue. People were dying. The Garden needed him. There wasn't anything else to it but that.

"I'll take Zell," he said without looking at anyone. "And Quistis."

"Oh yeah!" Zell grinned as he fist-pumped the air, ignoring Selphie's groan and declaration that Squall really was a meanie for forgetting about her. Irvine took a moment to tip his hat before reassuring him that they'd "find Rinoa in a heartbeat, don't you worry about that." Quistis didn't say anything, but watched him with a kind of contemplative silence that he couldn't decipher. Squall wished they'd all stop looking at him.

"Selphie, Irvine. You head north and try to evacuate any wounded you find on the way." Squall's hand clenched at the hilt of his gunblade for confidence. "We'll head off the threat before it hits the lobby." Squall tried to think of anything else to add, but just nodded and started towards the elevator when he came up with nothing. There was silence behind him before Quistis added "Let's move out!" and fell into place at his side.

 _Rinoa._ He thought of her, wide-eyed and weakened, caught unaware by some enemy soldiers or another, and his knuckles clenched hard on the trigger of his gun. Rinoa could take care of herself. He knew that, but he still couldn't shake the urge to run to her. To protect her despite everything and to never, ever let her stand alone. But he had a job to do. Something he couldn't trust to anyone else, and something he had to face without her.

"You're still thinking about her?" Quistis glanced at him, hand already steady at her whip. Squall didn't look at her as he pressed the button for the elevator.

"Man." Zell shifted behind them and threaded his hands behind his neck. "Being a leader really sounds like the worst."

Squall felt his lip twitch as the elevator doors opened before them. "Come on," he said. "We have a job to do."

* * *

 _Sephiroth was coming._

Cloud felt it in every scream of the alarm, in every tap of his boots against linoleum floors. It didn't make sense by any logical means, but then, he was used to that by now. He didn't know where he was except that it looked like a cross between a military base and a high school. He didn't know what he was doing except that monsters had flooded in from where the school's defenses had fallen, and he couldn't help but stand against them. Cloud had thought he'd known everything - that he'd never been a Soldier, that Sephiroth was gone, and that Zack was dead. But Sephiroth was coming, and Zack...

Cloud glanced at the Zack beside him, thrusting out his sword ( _their sword_ ) in the same familiar way he thought he remembered. If Zack was alive, then what else wasn't true?

Zack turned to him, half-smirking, before his eyes widened in alarm. He was already rushing towards him as he shouted, "Cloud, behind you!"

Instinct took over as Cloud grabbed the hilt of his sword, pulled it from his back, and swept the blade in an arc as he spun around on his heel to face the slant eyes and twisted mouth of an inflated Bomb. His blade dug into the side of its head with a crack before the monster was sent barrelling into a nearby wall where it exploded on impact. Cloud let out a breath and twirled the sword through his fingers. Zack froze where he stood, blinking in surprise.

"Oh," he said. "I guess you've got it." His eyes flicked to the sword in Cloud's hand.

Silence filled the space between them in the monster-filled hallway of a school under attack. Neither of them wanted to say what the other was thinking.

The last half hour had been nothing short of a fever dream. Upon their escape, they'd found all their weapons stashed inside an empty classroom, but when Cloud had reached for his buster sword, Zack held out his hand.

"Wait, that's _mine,_ " he'd said and then laughed weakly as though to brush off the tension of it all. "I'm surprised you can lift it, actually. Guess it's the mako."

Cloud had looked at the buster sword with its familiar edges and comforting grip and froze. _Of course. It had been Zack's._

"Oh," he said. "Right," and handed it over until the weight had lifted and Cloud was left feeling lost and helpless and _wrong_ without it pressing down between his shoulder blades. Zack must have noticed his expression because he quickly holstered the blade so he could clap a hand on Cloud's shoulder instead.

"Don't worry about it. I'll let you take some swings with it later if you want. But for now I want to keep you safe. You've had a rough time. Let me take it from here." Zack gave him a familiar grin that should have been encouraging but only made Cloud's stomach churn. Zack was protecting him. Like he couldn't handle himself. Like he was-

 _no one._

"Right," Cloud said again as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. Zack looked like he was about to say something else, but he'd barely opened his mouth when something crashed from the other side of the room.

"Ow, ow, ow!" The kid with the tail ( _what was his name again?_ ) groaned as he stumbled back towards them. "Is someone missing a sword? Like a real big sword? There's still one back here and like hell if I can move it!"

Cloud frowned and pulled himself away from Zack. Sure enough, metal glinted back at him from the back of the supply closet. About five feet of metal with a gold embellished handle and a sharpened edge. _The buster sword._

"Wha-? But that's-!" Zack held up his own sword and looked between them, eyes wide. "They look the same!"

Cloud stepped forward and hefted it with a single hand. The kid with the tail groaned again, muttering, "Sure, you make it look easy!" but Cloud ignored him as he looked over the sword he'd held onto for so long. It was the same down to the last detail. The same weight. The same glints and curves and edges, but this one had just a few more scratches etched into the side of the blade. Just a bit more tarnish. Just a tad more rust. Cloud twirled it easily between his fingers before letting it rest in its harness on his back.

"I'll take this one then," he said, biting his tongue as he tried to hold back nausea.

"But-! That can't-!" Zack looked between them, almost sputtering his protests before he took a breath, cleared the shock from his eyes, and tried for a weak grin. "Looks like you can handle it," he said instead. "It suits you." But Cloud knew that he'd meant to say something else, and from his expression, Zack knew that Cloud knew that too. It didn't matter though because the alarms were still blaring and there were monsters outside in every corridor, courtyard, and classroom. They still hadn't had the time to talk about it.

"Thanks for the warning," Cloud said and nodded towards the fiery remains of the Bomb. Zack nodded uneasily.

"Sure thing." Zack tore his eyes away from Cloud's sword and holstered his own. "We heroes've got to work together, right?"

Looking at Zack felt like drowning. Just seeing him standing there like the confident, familiar man in his dreams. Cloud took a steadying breath to focus, but his lungs were heavy and the sound couldn't reach him quite right. Zack's eyes were a reflection in glass - ghostly, untouchable, and bathed in sickly green. Cloud couldn't bridge the distance.

Someone was talking to him. The blonde woman. Her hands pulsed with magic as she finished off an over-sized bug. "You said you could find him. The man in black. So where is he?"

"Oh." It took a moment for the light to reach him again. They were in a windowed hallway that looked like it might have been sterile before they'd littered it with monster parts and splashes of blood. They didn't know where the monsters had come from, but others were fighting them still. Kids, it looked like, dressed in school uniforms down every hallway and door. Cloud couldn't just leave them, but that meant losing sight of the real threat. _Sephiroth._

"He's-..." Cloud bit his tongue and tried to focus. What he felt towards Sephiroth had never been precise. Less like a radar and more like a game of hot and cold. For a long time, the urge had been subconscious. _Keep moving closer. Always closer. His cells are calling._ Now Cloud knew the feeling for what it was, but that didn't make it any easier to track. He shifted. Turned. Tried to figure out which direction felt _right_.

"He's higher," Cloud decided after a moment of silence. "On an upper floor maybe. But I don't know for sure."

The woman gave him an exasperated look but nodded and started ahead. The boy with the tail and the excitable girl were still busy fighting off a strange, multi-headed lizard down the hall. That left just Cloud and Zack. Again.

"Look. About... _Sephiroth_." The word curdled around Zack's tongue like he was talking about some kind of demon. "I don't think you're lying, but do you think that maybe-? Well…"

Cloud shook his head. _He wasn't imagining anything._ "You heard her. She said there's a man in black with a long sword. Do you know anyone else that could be?"

Zack paused. "I knew a couple people like that, yeah."

Cloud felt his stomach turn. "We don't have time for this." He started forward and thankfully Zack fall into step behind him. "Sephiroth could be anywhere, and if we're not ready to stop him-."

"Cloud." Zack grabbed his shoulder, turning him around. "Maybe you should stop and think. I saw him die. We both did. Maybe you're moving a little fast?"

Cloud yanked himself away. "I know he's here. I _heard_ -!" _His voice._ He didn't say it, but it was true. Sitting there in that sterile room, his head had given a blinding throb, and in the heat of that pain, he'd heard Sephiroth's voice echoing as though whispered behind his ear.

' _Come to me.'_

Cloud knew that feeling. The voices. The flashes of pain and the dull, uneasy haze that seized his body like puppet strings. He could fight it now, but he knew it all the same. Sephiroth was here, even if Cloud sounded crazy. And even if he _was_ crazy, that didn't make him wrong.

Still, he hated the concern in Zack's eyes as he repeated, "You...heard…?"

Cloud opened his mouth to argue, but didn't have a chance before he was interrupted by a scream and a shattering of glass from an open door somewhere down the hall. They both froze, looking at each other before reaching again for their swords. The blonde woman reacted first, darting ahead without a second's hesitation. There was a rush of air behind her, the spark of magic, and fire exploded out the doorway in a flash of light. Cloud shook his head.

"This can wait," he said as he chased after her into the flames. Someone was there, someone hostile. There were more important matters at hand than his sanity.

* * *

" _When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end, the goddess descends from the sky."_

Squall froze as a voice echoed down the long hallway leading to the ballroom. He glanced back and made eye contact with Quistis before she gestured for him to stay quiet and keep low. Finding the intruders hadn't been hard. There was a trail of blood from here to the quad, and while they hadn't found any survivors, what they did find didn't leave much to the imagination. Squall's stomach had twisted at the sight of the dead, but he'd kept moving forward so he wouldn't have to recognize them.

Squall pressed himself against the side of the door, listening, and the other two followed suit behind him. Zell was pale and shaken from the blood, and his shoe tapped behind him in a quiet rhythm. Squall gave him a look, but decided it wasn't worth the effort as he pushed the door open just enough to see polished marble floors.

" _Wings of light and dark spread afar. She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting."_ There was a sharp snap like a book being closed and then the rustling of cloth. "While I'm more than happy to recite Loveless to you all day Sephiroth, you don't exactly make for the best company. How long are we to wait?"

Squall leaned forward to sneak a look inside. The room was cavernous with its dimmed lights and shadowed rafters. The skylight reflected the violet orange of near sunset and glared off the marble floors. At the other side of the room, a dark figure stood with his back turned facing the open balcony doors. "He's coming."

Squall's neck prickled with unease. The voice was low, but _wrong_ in a way he couldn't quite explain. Each syllable pierced the silence like a dagger through ice. "Soon enough. He won't disappoint me."

There was a long, dramatic sigh that could have come from anywhere. "Couldn't we speed this up by going to him? Since when did you become so _dramatic_? Or did that come with the territory when you learned to float?"

"There's no need. I shouldn't lower myself to that."

Squall ducked behind the door again and glanced back to Quistis and Zell. Zell looked back to him with eyebrows furrowed in confusion before shaking his head and mouthing, " _What now?"_ Quistis gave the floor a deathly serious stare as she listened for every word of their enemies.

Squall shook his head. _Not yet._ It sounded like there were two of them in there, but he still couldn't find the second voice.

There was a short silence before it started again in an almost dreamy sigh. _"Dreams of the morrow hath the shattered soul. Pride is Lost, Wings stripped away, the end is nigh."_

The dark one gave a short grunt and Squall bit his tongue, edging back to the crack in the door. His hand tightened on his gunblade as he edged closer. Still, the voice echoed from seemingly nowhere.

"I've said it before," it said. "We're monsters, you and I."

The other man visibly tensed. "We're gods."

"Then Shinra would say I'm a failed one." The man gave a haughty huff and Squall caught something move in the corner of his eye. Above him? _"My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I? All that awaits you is a somber morrow No matter where the winds may blow."_

Squall saw it again, a brief flash of shining black in the rafters. He squinted at it closer to find that it was the toe of a boot being kicked about almost lazily from the owner's thirty foot perch. _How had anyone climbed there?_

When the dark man said nothing, the first continued. "What's your obsession with this blond boy anyway?"

For the first time, the man in black turned towards them. There's was something off about his movements. Something too fluid. Too smooth. Squall only caught a glimpse of a gaunt face framed by gleaming silver before he ducked behind the door again, but what he'd seen was enough to twist something cold in his stomach. It was the eyes. The look he'd given the rafters was enough to freeze Squall in place.

The man above them continued with an almost bored droll. "Last I saw he was comatose and being carted off by Zack. Terribly threatening."

"He's just a puppet. Nothing more."

Squall's grip tightened on his blade. _Should he attack now?_ If an enemy was positioned above then a sneak attack was almost impossible, and he'd leave himself vulnerable until someone could cover him. But waiting was just as much of a risk. _How long could they wait?_

"Oh? Is that why we came all the way here? Over _nothing?_ "

' _Think.'_ Squall looked back to the others again. Zell was leaning forward now, fist in his hand as he readied himself to charge forward. Quistis' lips were tight, and there was something fearful in her eye as their gazes met. She shook her head.

"Genesis." The dark man spoke with a deadly calm. "I told you to remove anyone unworthy of us."

"Hm?"

"The door."

Squall froze. His heartbeat quickened in his throat as he tried to think faster. He knew this feeling, the panic of a mission gone completely and utterly wrong. He heard Quistis' gasp behind him and a whispered curse from Zell, but it didn't really register.

There was nothing left to lose and no retreating. That left only one option.

Squall thrust the door open with his shoulder, charging forward directly at the man in black. He pulled his sword from its holster as he went, not wasting time to adjust his stance. He heard shuffling bootsteps behind him, a cry of "Squall, wait!" and then he swung his sword at the man before him. The man in black didn't move. He just watched Squall with an expression somewhere between annoyed and amused until the blade approached his neck. There was a metallic _clink_ and Squall's sword hit a thin blade clutched by a leather-clad hand. Squall's eyes widened. He hadn't even seen the man raise it.

The man in black considered him thoughtfully, and Squall met his chilling eyes. They were even worse up close - inhuman with an almost neon gleam and thin, cat-like pupils. They narrowed slightly.

"Interesting." The man's lips twitched as Squall threw himself back, gunblade raised defensively. The rest of his team fell into formation behind him - Zell bouncing on his heels and Quistis with her whip outstretched. The man turned slowly to face them, sword held loosely at his side. It was so long that it looked more like a javelin than a blade. The man tilted his head slightly. "You're different, aren't you?" he asked.

Squall eyed him, glancing at Quistis before giving the man an incredulous look. "What?"

The room expanded silent and empty around them like an arena made of marble and glass. The balcony doors stood open and the wind brushed against them from the Garden's flight. Squall glanced above them to see a human figure drenched in shadow with one foot dangling over the edge.

"Surely the Great General Sephiroth can handle this on his own, can't he?" There was a haughty air to the man above them, but the one in black - Sephiroth - didn't even look his way.

No, his eyes were locked on Squall.

"You've always been stronger than the others, haven't you? More... _special._ " Sephiroth's voice seemed to curl around the last word as his smirk widened. Squall stared at him without comprehension.

"I'm not special," he said. "I'm just here to stop you," but Zell was already yelling over him, "Yeah, he's strong! And he's here to take you down!"

Sephiroth laughed. It was the kind of soft, deadly sound that belonged in darkened forests and the bottom of graves. When Sephiroth was done, he shook his head, touching at his forehead before his eyes locked on Squall again. "We'll see."

And then he was upon them.

The man flew at him like an over-sized bat, black coat billowing behind him. Squall's hand moved on instinct, blocking one blow and then another and another in rapid succession. The force of it sent him stumbling backwards, and Squall tried to regain his balance as another strike angled in from above. There was a wild yell from beside him and Sephiroth pulled back to catch Zell's fist in his hand, throwing him roughly aside as a whip cracked just above their heads. Squall repositioned his stance and took just a moment to catch his breath before throwing himself forward again.

The man was fast, _too fast_ in a way that didn't even seem human. The minutes passed like deadly hours, but with every strike that Squall tried to land, Sephiroth seemed capable of four more. Squall could feel it in every step, in every slash, in every time he felt that sword deflect his own time after time after time. Something here was terribly wrong.

"Why did you kill all those people?" It was Zell again. He let out a guttural cry as he rushed forward to sweep Sephiroth's leg. "Who even are you?"

Sephiroth hopped over the blow ( _not hopped - hovered?_ ) before dodging back out of range, laughing. Squall repositioned himself, raising his sword defensively. There was no other way to fight him but slowly. Charging in would only get himself killed.

"Augh! Answer me!" Zell bellowed at the sky in an enraged battle cry before running straight at the man's sword.

"Zell, stop!" Quistis darted after him before Squall could react. She'd only barely touched his shoulder when the man appeared before them like a shadow. Squall's eyes widened. He started towards them as Quistis clutched tighter at Zell's shoulder and she threw him aside towards the balcony doors. The sword glinted in the sunlight and then dropped in a deadly arc. Quistis let out a muffled cry as she stumbled back, blood dripping from between her fingers as she clutched at her eyes.

"Get away from her!" Squall thrust himself between them, swinging wildly. Sephiroth's eyes gleamed with something terrible.

"Do you care about them?" he asked. Squall's eyes narrowed. He thrust his sword directly at the man's chest.

There was resistance on his grip, he saw it tear through, but there was no blood. Sephiroth didn't even flinch as he slipped aside. Squall stared as the ragged hole in the man's chest slowly knitted back together.

"Move!"

Squall started at Quistis' voice and dropped to the ground in time to see a long, piercing blade sweep the air where his head had been. There was the crack of a whip and then a series of thunder bolts, and behind him, Quistis stood her hands outstretched, blood streaming from her brow and down her nose and cheeks. Sephiroth veered backwards to avoid the chain of spells until he stood in broad sunlight on the balcony like a creature of the night exposed. Behind him, Zell had stumbled back to his feet and was waiting with raised fists. Sephiroth blocked the first blow easily, then the second before he caught Zell's wrist and twisted it. Squall cursed as he charged forward, swinging from above in a wild lunge. Just like before, Sephiroth's sword caught his, diverting it over his shoulder as Zell plummeted towards the concrete. Their eyes caught in that brief stalemate - Squall's deadly determined, Sephiroth's vaguely amused.

Then Squall pulled the gunblade's trigger.

The shot bucked roughly against Sephiroth's ear, and he recoiled away from it, letting out a soft grunt as he staggered into the iron-wrought railing. Squall elbowed the man further off balance as he swung his blade around to face him.

( _Just a little more and he could push him over the side!_ )

Something hit Squall hard in the square of his back. He let out a pained gasp, twisting around in time to see the edges of a red coat, leather pants, and the shining tip of the boot that just kicked him. He caught a flash of auburn hair and a smirk ( _the man from the rafters?_ ) before a leather glove had grabbed him by the face.

The hand sparked and then burst with flames.

Squall's eyes widened but he didn't have time for more than a muffled yell before the heat crashed into him and he blindly threw himself away from it. He heard someone laugh before he was struck again in the chest and fell backwards into the railing which gave a terrible crunch and then a jolt as he felt it give way.

Squall tried to find something, _anything_ to grab onto, but groped only air as his heels teetered and he heard Quistis screaming his name. Zell's gloved hand reached for him, but their fingertips only brushed each other as the Squall's boot slipped and he toppled backwards off the ledge.

He saw Zell's terrified face, the flip of a crimson coat, and then he was falling.


End file.
